http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/30/only-443-000-cablecards-depoyed-into-consumers-equipment/ Engadget Comments for http://www.engadget.com/media/feedlogo.gif http://www.engadget.com en-us Copyright 2012 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/30/only-443-000-cablecards-depoyed-into-consumers-equipment/http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/30/only-443-000-cablecards-depoyed-into-consumers-equipment/Sep 30th 2009 6:27PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/09/30/only-443-000-cablecards-depoyed-into-consumers-equipment/http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/30/only-443-000-cablecards-depoyed-into-consumers-equipment/Sep 30th 2009 7:42PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/09/30/only-443-000-cablecards-depoyed-into-consumers-equipment/http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/30/only-443-000-cablecards-depoyed-into-consumers-equipment/Sep 30th 2009 8:02PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/09/30/only-443-000-cablecards-depoyed-into-consumers-equipment/http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/30/only-443-000-cablecards-depoyed-into-consumers-equipment/
Or crazy idea, they could lower prices and get more customers, but for that to happen, it would have to be much easier to get TIVO setup with cable cards. Cable companies employees would have to know how to install them correct, first time around, and service Cable companies provide should be as good as one they offer to rest of their customers.

Problem is that if you loose signal or your cable card looses pairing, you can't just call and give them numbers to get it setup. Instead you have to have a technician come in which usually takes few days (no TV during that time) then he has to get this setup (if he knows how).

Those two reasons cause many people to just give up and go with regular cable boxes, and I don't blame them. I almost did same last month.]]>Sep 30th 2009 8:11PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/09/30/only-443-000-cablecards-depoyed-into-consumers-equipment/http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/30/only-443-000-cablecards-depoyed-into-consumers-equipment/
I think this is a telling factor. Clearly the cable companies are fighting CableCARD and anything that would compete with their crappy Scientific Atlanta set-top boxes. ]]>Sep 30th 2009 6:36PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/09/30/only-443-000-cablecards-depoyed-into-consumers-equipment/http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/30/only-443-000-cablecards-depoyed-into-consumers-equipment/Sep 30th 2009 6:46PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/09/30/only-443-000-cablecards-depoyed-into-consumers-equipment/http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/30/only-443-000-cablecards-depoyed-into-consumers-equipment/I had 3 technicians in my house in a span of 6 weeks to setup my TIVO cause they kept getting it wrong. Also why in a world do I have to pay $3.95 for a cable card. Oh yeah I have two of them, one cost $3.95 second $2.95.

I am open for other solutions here, Tru2way, and I bet Cable Companies would be happy also. They could offer all VOD and PPV options, without need to supply cable boxes, but wait they wouldn't be able to rip me off on cable box usage so they would probably charge me $8 for using it. But wait I will probably never get to do it anyway since that technology will never be adopted.

It is absolute shame how FCC is trying not to make it happen. I do understand that, all of this is time an money. But unless some laws are passed and put in place none of this will ever happen and only small group of people that knows how technology works, and wants what is best for them is going to use it, till FCC will give up and side with Cable Companies and give up on it.]]>Sep 30th 2009 7:53PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/09/30/only-443-000-cablecards-depoyed-into-consumers-equipment/http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/30/only-443-000-cablecards-depoyed-into-consumers-equipment/Sep 30th 2009 7:01PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/09/30/only-443-000-cablecards-depoyed-into-consumers-equipment/http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/30/only-443-000-cablecards-depoyed-into-consumers-equipment/
Looking forward to the new Ceton tuners. Might plop down for the 4 or 6 tuner model. It'll still just be $3 a month for the card! Screw you, cable companies and your rented boxes!!!]]>Sep 30th 2009 7:19PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/09/30/only-443-000-cablecards-depoyed-into-consumers-equipment/http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/30/only-443-000-cablecards-depoyed-into-consumers-equipment/Sep 30th 2009 7:34PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/09/30/only-443-000-cablecards-depoyed-into-consumers-equipment/http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/30/only-443-000-cablecards-depoyed-into-consumers-equipment/
The users of those 443,000 cablecards would disagree. The standard has indeed failed in the sense that it has not been broadly adopted in 3rd party hardware, but that doesn't make it "worthless".

The cable companies bear a lot of blame for the failure. They had no real incentive to support cablecard other than the FCC mandate, so they generally have supported it poorly.
]]>Sep 30th 2009 8:11PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/09/30/only-443-000-cablecards-depoyed-into-consumers-equipment/http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/30/only-443-000-cablecards-depoyed-into-consumers-equipment/Sep 30th 2009 7:56PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/09/30/only-443-000-cablecards-depoyed-into-consumers-equipment/http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/30/only-443-000-cablecards-depoyed-into-consumers-equipment/
Unfortunately it seems like the cable operators, and CableLabs, didn't really take the whole CableCARD thing very seriously, and it's turned into a huge mess because they didn't take it seriously in the beginning. Unfortunately I'm not sure how the FCC could make it work out better. Let them spec it out again? They'll probably half-ass it again, leaving us in the same place that we are now. Create their own study committee, spec it out, and regulate the production of equipment and use of said equipment that complies with that specification? The cable companies will do everything they can to flout it, because it's too expensive, or it's too complex, or they otherwise just resent being told what to do.

Can anyone see a good way out of this situation? I just don't see how they can come up with something that they can actually get the involved parties on board with, and more and more it's seeming like tru2way is slipping off the rails.]]>Sep 30th 2009 7:57PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/09/30/only-443-000-cablecards-depoyed-into-consumers-equipment/http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/30/only-443-000-cablecards-depoyed-into-consumers-equipment/
Bull3964
This time around they give the CEA more influence instead of letting the CableLabs dictate the spec.]]>Sep 30th 2009 8:14PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/09/30/only-443-000-cablecards-depoyed-into-consumers-equipment/http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/30/only-443-000-cablecards-depoyed-into-consumers-equipment/
Don't NCTA/CableLabs dislike the CEA about as much as they dislike the FCC? I'm sure the CEA could draft a more viable spec, but I still think getting the cable operators, CableLabs/NCTA, et al. on board is going to be the problem.

I'm not trying to say "I don't think there's any way to make this work", at least not intentionally, but I do think some sort of arm-twisting is going to have to be employed to get everyone on board.]]>Sep 30th 2009 8:27PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/09/30/only-443-000-cablecards-depoyed-into-consumers-equipment/http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/30/only-443-000-cablecards-depoyed-into-consumers-equipment/
I really want a Tivo, I do, but they really need to update their hardware.

$299 for a 160gb DVR or $599 for a 1tb DVR? Give me a break, most people don't even spend $500 on a TV nowadays.

160gb is a joke now. I have a 133 HD stations. 20hours of HD capacity just isn't enough anymore. Sure you can install your own drive (and void the warranty on your brand new device) or pay yet another $140 to expand the storage externally but the base storage is 2 years out of date. Why would I care at all about the more advanced program management features of Tivo if all I can do is record 5 movies and 10 tv episodes?

Then there's the Tivo XL where they somehow think a THX label and a 1tb hard drive is worth a $300 premium over the base model (despite the fact that the price difference between a 160gb drive and a 1tb drive is under $100 now).

And this is the LEADER in the marketplace who just happens to be sue happy to anyone else who even thinks about making a DVR. Is it any wonder why cablecard hasn't caught on? The hardware market is stagnant and it's not going to get any better.]]>Sep 30th 2009 7:41PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/09/30/only-443-000-cablecards-depoyed-into-consumers-equipment/http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/30/only-443-000-cablecards-depoyed-into-consumers-equipment/
]]>Sep 30th 2009 7:47PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/09/30/only-443-000-cablecards-depoyed-into-consumers-equipment/http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/30/only-443-000-cablecards-depoyed-into-consumers-equipment/
No, this is not a joke or a fantasy. It really can happen. But it's important to know precisely what you need and expect, and be able to communicate it clearly when you call them.]]>Oct 1st 2009 1:07AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/09/30/only-443-000-cablecards-depoyed-into-consumers-equipment/http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/30/only-443-000-cablecards-depoyed-into-consumers-equipment/
http://www.tivo.com/assets/pdfs/CableCARDInstall_TiVoHD.pdf

Seriously, the guy looked at it and was clueless. He tossed it aside and proceeded to fumble through the process and basically argue with me about whether I needed a cablecard, insisting that he could activate my tivo -- sans card -- over the phone. He honestly didn't know what a cablecard was or what it was used for. *THIS* was the guy they sent after I called up & requested a cablecard installation for my tivo (Comcast here requires that they send a tech) clearly, succinctly, and politely.

My parents in Houston recently had similar difficulties -- the Houston office switched from moto to scientific atlanta/cisco cards (ie, you HAD to take in your moto card & trade it in), shut down their cablecard activation lines, and sent out a memo claiming that their new cards didn't need to be activated. I eventually did get hold of a tech who admitted to me that that was completely & totally wrong -- of course they need to be activated. But, the multiple cards my parents tried never did work with my their Philips set (had worked fine for years w/ a motorola card). After 2 months of bickering and 4 or 5 tech visits from comcast, my parents just gave up.

It's hard to tell if such problems are the squeaky-wheel syndrome, but these sorts of interactions don't really paint a picture of an industry that knows what its doing... and frankly, these deployment numbers underscore that us cablecard users are a tiny fraction of their customer base, which means we likely get very little consideration. I kind of think that getting your installation right is a mix of luck (getting the right combo of technician at your place *and* a person on the other end of the phone who can correctly configure your account/paring info) and persistence (keeping with it until you get things done right).]]>Oct 1st 2009 8:54AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/09/30/only-443-000-cablecards-depoyed-into-consumers-equipment/http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/30/only-443-000-cablecards-depoyed-into-consumers-equipment/Sep 30th 2009 8:10PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/09/30/only-443-000-cablecards-depoyed-into-consumers-equipment/http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/30/only-443-000-cablecards-depoyed-into-consumers-equipment/Sep 30th 2009 9:28PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/09/30/only-443-000-cablecards-depoyed-into-consumers-equipment/http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/30/only-443-000-cablecards-depoyed-into-consumers-equipment/Oct 1st 2009 6:20AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/09/30/only-443-000-cablecards-depoyed-into-consumers-equipment/http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/30/only-443-000-cablecards-depoyed-into-consumers-equipment/
One reason CableCARD in TVs never took off is that the companies making the TVs with CableCARD never understood what they had and never really marketed it properly. I don't ever recall an advertisement for a TV which had a CableCARD slot as being a replacement for the cable company cable box. AND YET IT IS!!! "Buy this TV (with CableCARD slot) and all you need to do is to hook up the cable directly to the TV (just like your old SD set did with basic cable), no separate cable box required to get all those premium, digital, and HD channels*.
*Digital/HD cable subscription required (but you need that to watch digital/HD anyway) which would include the CableCARD hardware.

I know lots of people with cable company cable boxes and don't know of anyone that actually uses VOD, PPV, or any service which would use two-way services. So, to say that lack of that feature was a downfall for CableCARD is misleading, at best. Sure, the cable companies might want to see it that way, but who cares what they think :-)

The recent announcement of CableCARD for DIY Media Center will also change the landscape, since until now, one could rationally state that CableCARD was never actually available (nor marketed) for Media Center, since it was only available to an "exclusive club", of those willing to pay for expensive, hard to find, Media Center CableCARD computers. Going forward, CableCARD tuner for Media Center need to be marketed in the "HDTV aisle" at Best Buy or wherever, as a replacement/substitute for that clunky, old, obsolete, cable box you get from the cable company.

The FCC gave us CableCARD as a way to commoditize cable box hardware, but the companies involved (who cares about the cable companies, let them stick to selling the services, not hardware) haven't really stepped up to take advantage of it.

That's the real problem here.
]]>Sep 30th 2009 9:47PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/09/30/only-443-000-cablecards-depoyed-into-consumers-equipment/http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/30/only-443-000-cablecards-depoyed-into-consumers-equipment/
]]>Oct 1st 2009 6:02AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/09/30/only-443-000-cablecards-depoyed-into-consumers-equipment/http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/30/only-443-000-cablecards-depoyed-into-consumers-equipment/
This was in June 09.

Eventually it got working and everything's fine - but it took three visits on three different days for them to get it right.

BTW - if you are looking at Tivo HD vs Tivo XL - choose wisely if you want to upgrade your drive. MFSTools has the tools and info - but in short, if you want 2TB total, you have to start with the XL. Otherwise, if 1TB total is good enough then the HD is fine.]]>Sep 30th 2009 9:44PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/09/30/only-443-000-cablecards-depoyed-into-consumers-equipment/http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/30/only-443-000-cablecards-depoyed-into-consumers-equipment/1.1TB drives into the TivoHD: http://www.mfslive.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=5959&sid=a3fa852a22282e851d7f89685ea78da9#p5961

Requires a bit of hacking, but certainly doable...]]>Oct 1st 2009 8:46AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/09/30/only-443-000-cablecards-depoyed-into-consumers-equipment/http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/30/only-443-000-cablecards-depoyed-into-consumers-equipment/
The first time I called back in 08 they said 'well we have them, not technically supported, but then again we don't 'technically' support the eSATA port on the back of the cable box, but it works fine'

I called in June 2009 and told them I was getting a Tivo HD and wanted a CableCARD and the support person was more than happy to set up an appointment. The tech showed up, said he brought a multi-stream card instead of two singles, and proceeded to do the install. He confessed he had only done one or two other's, but WoW furnished him with a step by step paper on the process (or he did some homework) and short of some crappy cable in the house, the job was done quite quickly. ]]>Oct 1st 2009 10:45AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/09/30/only-443-000-cablecards-depoyed-into-consumers-equipment/http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/30/only-443-000-cablecards-depoyed-into-consumers-equipment/This is monopolistic practice by the cable companies and contrary to the Telecommunications Act of 1996. But it is the FCC that screwed up here by not forcing the cable companies to play fair and in agreeing to the whole cable card one way 'compromise' in the first place.]]>Sep 30th 2009 10:20PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/09/30/only-443-000-cablecards-depoyed-into-consumers-equipment/http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/30/only-443-000-cablecards-depoyed-into-consumers-equipment/
]]>Oct 1st 2009 6:05AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/09/30/only-443-000-cablecards-depoyed-into-consumers-equipment/http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/30/only-443-000-cablecards-depoyed-into-consumers-equipment/
The cable company provided hardware is pre-installed with the cable cards and those are delivered to the customer pre-paired. If a rep calls in, it is just to make sure the right account is being billed for any pay-per-view et al ordered from the box. (btw, I turned in an SA DVR after getting my TiVo HDs and started getting billed for pay-per-view movies because they forgot to change that info. The next guy who go the box was getting free movies for the first couple months -- and getting that cleared up is another horror story.)]]>Oct 3rd 2009 9:05AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/09/30/only-443-000-cablecards-depoyed-into-consumers-equipment/http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/30/only-443-000-cablecards-depoyed-into-consumers-equipment/Oct 1st 2009 2:11AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/09/30/only-443-000-cablecards-depoyed-into-consumers-equipment/http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/30/only-443-000-cablecards-depoyed-into-consumers-equipment/Oct 1st 2009 11:52AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/09/30/only-443-000-cablecards-depoyed-into-consumers-equipment/http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/30/only-443-000-cablecards-depoyed-into-consumers-equipment/Oct 1st 2009 8:44AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/09/30/only-443-000-cablecards-depoyed-into-consumers-equipment/http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/30/only-443-000-cablecards-depoyed-into-consumers-equipment/Oct 1st 2009 8:47AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/09/30/only-443-000-cablecards-depoyed-into-consumers-equipment/http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/30/only-443-000-cablecards-depoyed-into-consumers-equipment/
I do wonder, however, how the number of cablecard users compares to the number of people who regularly rely on clear-QAM. I think both are relatively small, but there's a hell of a lot more clear-QAM capable hardware out there (see: HDTV-usage surveys). Since, as Ben points out, the cablecard mandate has failed so dramatically in its goal to have the digital equivalent of 90s-style cable-ready interoperable equipment, it seems like the more-ubiquitous clear-QAM (plus remotely addressable traps?) is the way to go if the FCC actually wants to get to that goal.]]>Oct 1st 2009 9:16AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/09/30/only-443-000-cablecards-depoyed-into-consumers-equipment/http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/30/only-443-000-cablecards-depoyed-into-consumers-equipment/
All we need is a standard two-way protocol and unique hardware ID and key in the TV to handle the conditional access.

This would all be standardized and the hardware keys could be revoked if abused. Then anyone could make hardware and if it didn't work, the operator could revoke the key or blacklist the unique hardware ID.

So a customer would come home, plug in the coax and get access to basics with a message that they need to call in with the "number" to activate the TV for the rest of the programming. The operator would activate the necessary services by adding the unique hardware ID at which point the TV would download the channel table and the guide data.

It isn't rocket science, it's just CableLabs is making it difficult because they don't want to become generic bit providers.]]>Oct 1st 2009 9:26AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/09/30/only-443-000-cablecards-depoyed-into-consumers-equipment/http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/30/only-443-000-cablecards-depoyed-into-consumers-equipment/Oct 1st 2009 10:17AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/09/30/only-443-000-cablecards-depoyed-into-consumers-equipment/http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/30/only-443-000-cablecards-depoyed-into-consumers-equipment/Oct 1st 2009 10:18AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/09/30/only-443-000-cablecards-depoyed-into-consumers-equipment/http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/30/only-443-000-cablecards-depoyed-into-consumers-equipment/
It's all a scam perpetrated on everyone by the cable companies - I'm looking at you Time-Warner. My cable cards didn't work right for a whole YEAR!!!]]>Oct 1st 2009 10:45AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/09/30/only-443-000-cablecards-depoyed-into-consumers-equipment/http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/30/only-443-000-cablecards-depoyed-into-consumers-equipment/1. Consumer ignorance (cablco's like to keep those little cards hidden)
2. The 7 levels of Hell you have to go through with your cableco to get them to "allow" you to use one.

]]>Oct 1st 2009 10:55AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/09/30/only-443-000-cablecards-depoyed-into-consumers-equipment/http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/30/only-443-000-cablecards-depoyed-into-consumers-equipment/
Cablevision seems to be working towards this but they can't help us off STBs and cablecards if the TV providers don't get on board with truly DCR TVs.
Any rumblings out there on any TV manufacturers working on non-cablecard DCR?

Oh yes, and TVs with clear QAM tuners will definitely become useless if Cablevision get's that waiver approved from the FCC to encrypt broadcast basic :(( .

As a stop-gap it would be great if someone out there would just sell a little retail set back tuner that decrypts digital cable (cablecard for now) that we could just pop onto the backs of all our ancilliary TVs and monitors. I'd pay $150-250 for that. That certainly falls under what the FCC is trying to promote, yes? Would CableLabs have something to nix about that?
]]>Nov 4th 2009 3:29PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/09/30/only-443-000-cablecards-depoyed-into-consumers-equipment/http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/30/only-443-000-cablecards-depoyed-into-consumers-equipment/Oct 1st 2009 11:28AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/09/30/only-443-000-cablecards-depoyed-into-consumers-equipment/http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/30/only-443-000-cablecards-depoyed-into-consumers-equipment/Oct 1st 2009 11:57AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/09/30/only-443-000-cablecards-depoyed-into-consumers-equipment/http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/30/only-443-000-cablecards-depoyed-into-consumers-equipment/Oct 1st 2009 2:54PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/09/30/only-443-000-cablecards-depoyed-into-consumers-equipment/http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/30/only-443-000-cablecards-depoyed-into-consumers-equipment/Oct 1st 2009 6:25PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/09/30/only-443-000-cablecards-depoyed-into-consumers-equipment/http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/30/only-443-000-cablecards-depoyed-into-consumers-equipment/Oct 2nd 2009 2:00AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/09/30/only-443-000-cablecards-depoyed-into-consumers-equipment/http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/30/only-443-000-cablecards-depoyed-into-consumers-equipment/
The FCC told the cable companie's "You have to start selling your car without and engine". So exactly how hard do you suppose it would be if your CAR either came with an engine in it, or you had the "option" to get your "car" from someone else and your cable company had to install the engine in it?

It was and is a stupid idea. True2way will be stilborn because of the finger pointing that's going to go on between everyone involved when apps don't work.]]>Oct 2nd 2009 6:58AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/09/30/only-443-000-cablecards-depoyed-into-consumers-equipment/http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/30/only-443-000-cablecards-depoyed-into-consumers-equipment/
No, the best comparison is the telephone or interent and in both no one would consider buying their cordless phone or computer from the cable company. The bottom line is that cable operators use hardware as a way to control the user's experience -- good or bad -- and since most consumers don't have true competition where they live, it is important for an entity like the FCC to do something to help the consumer. And lets face it, every consumer I know doesn't want a stupid set-top-box under their TV. We don't mind tolerating it for a DVR, but just to watch TV, no way.]]>Oct 2nd 2009 7:04AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/09/30/only-443-000-cablecards-depoyed-into-consumers-equipment/http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/30/only-443-000-cablecards-depoyed-into-consumers-equipment/Oct 2nd 2009 6:58AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/09/30/only-443-000-cablecards-depoyed-into-consumers-equipment/http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/30/only-443-000-cablecards-depoyed-into-consumers-equipment/Oct 2nd 2009 7:00AM